The beautiful woodlands stretch off into the distance in all directions, a small muddy cart-track meandering off towards the rest of civilisation.

A selection of... mostly-human individuals, sitting or crouching by a sparkling stream flanked with a profusion of bluebells, panning the water for something - not gold, something more precious than gold, something more magic...

All of them have some slightly non-human features - prominent green veins, or patches of bark, or vines and flowers growing amongst the hair, or thorns jutting awkwardly through the skin. All of them have at least one prominent tattoo, a variation on the theme of a twining thorned branch; some have many more.

A few children running here and there, not tattooed, fetching and carrying and dancing and playing. Some are a little green-veined, some with scabs of bark from inevitable childhood accidents.

Some wooden structures cling to the forest's edge above the brook, haphazard shelters built with love and energy and not very much in the way of skill and patience.

Several people notice her arrival and are reacting surprisingly calmly; the children are being quietly and determinedly rounded up, which is not an easy task as they all want to gawk, and one teenage girl took off running immediately, back up to the cluster of buildings, yelling "Visitor! Through a weird portal!"

She is being approached by a couple of people, one gentleman who is taking some kind of leather tool roll off his belt and looking at her carefully like she might be some kind of wounded wild animal, and one lady who is smiling widely and generally trying to put her at ease.

"Welcome to Foundhome, did you come through the Gate? Is there trouble coming?" asks the lady.

"And are you hurt at all?" adds the man.

There are also distinctly a few people who have picked up spears from the undergrowth in a stealthy fashion and are trying to look unthreatening but ready for that to change if necessary.

"I don't think I did, and if there is I wouldn't know, though I might like to see it, and I'm entirely sound of body."

"Oh, in that case, do you know how you got here? You're welcome to stick around, although I do hope there will be no trouble, this is generally quite a peaceful area." The lady still has her best welcoming smile on, although now seems a bit more worried.

The man with the tool roll looks almost disappointed that she's not injured, and starts to roll it up and put it back on his belt.

"Yeah! I was exploring the Aetherial Sea, looking for other worlds. And this one looked cool."

"Are most areas not peaceful?"

"I'm not sure if most areas are not peaceful, but most are less peaceful than here," replies the woman. "And some are outright war zones. The Aetherial Sea isn't something I've heard of, but maybe Allegra will have a better idea - is that a place in the Day realm, it sounds a bit Day maybe?"

The teenage girl has disappeared into the cluster of buildings; shortly thereafter, a middle-aged woman with a burn on one cheek, a large facial tattoo down the other, and using a rather magical looking staff (silver wood with vines that are still growing autumn leaves) as a somewhat oversized walking stick starts to make her way out of the cluster towards the newcomer.

"...I don't know?"

"It's understandable if you don't know what that is, Allegra's a Vate and lets us know some of the basics of magic in case we run into something too interesting. She'll be down here in a minute; is there anything you need from us immediately, or shall I let her take over?"

"I'm alright with her taking over, thanks."

The approaching staff-wielder makes her way down the path at a measured pace, and when she gets to a reasonable talking distance, begins a greeting.

"Hi there! I'm Allegra, the local Brand, and this is Foundhome in Miaren, a small steading in Oakways. What brings you to us? Do you need any immediate assistance?"

"Hello! I'm Sheogorath, and I was exploring the Aetherial Sea, and I'm not in any need of assistance, no. Are you?"

"Not in any immediate sense - I've never heard of the Aetherial Sea, though, and I'd appreciate the chance to hear more about it and anything else you can tell me.

Would you like to come back to my house, or shall I have someone fetch us some chairs, or are you in a hurry to be elsewhere?"

"I'm in no hurries at all! And some chairs sound lovely."

Allegra looks over to one of the onlookers, who nods and heads off into the cluster of buildings, probably in search of some chairs.

"Anything else you'd like - something to drink, a snack, some lunch? It sounds like you may have quite a tale to tell of how you got here, and questions for us on... whatever interests you?"

"Something to drink, first, and questions too - and I have answers if you have your own questions."

"Apple juice is my favourite, but the water is good round here too, and I'm sure some scamps have been brewing something if you'd like to try their latest attempts? Or we might be able to find something more respectable that's imported, but no promises."